Thousands of trainee doctors have left hospitals across England over pay and disputes with the government.
The strike will last three days, from Wednesday morning to Saturday morning, bringing the total number of days of junior doctors’ strike this year to 28.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has warned that six more days of strike action are planned in January unless the government comes up with a proposal that the BMA’s Young Doctors Committee finds credible enough to pass on to its members.
Why are trainee doctors on strike?
The BMA, which represents around 45,000 trainee doctors in England, says their real pay has fallen over the past fourteen years.
The BMA website says: “Our new calculations show that junior doctors’ salaries in England experienced a real wage decline (RPI) of 26.1% from 2008/09 to 2021/22, even after taking into account total investment raised.” . “Annual salary agreement concluded in 2019.”
The union is therefore seeking to restore wages to 2008-09 levels in line with inflation, which would require a 35.3 percent increase that the government considers impossible.
Instead, in July the government proposed an immediate 6 percent pay rise and a permanent annual pay rise of £1,250 – both backdated to April.
However, the BMA rejected the proposal, saying it was inadequate due to the “terrible cost of living crisis, professional burnout and provision levels well below inflation”, adding that “there is a risk that hard-working doctors will be forced out of work”. A profession at a time when we need it more than ever.”
“If junior doctors are excluded from the NHS due to poor pay and conditions, the services we all rely on to care for our loved ones will suffer,” the statement continued.
How much do trainee doctors earn?
The title “junior doctor” is commonly used for both newly qualified doctors who have just completed their studies, and those just below consultant level with ten years’ experience. This means that salary levels vary depending on different professional backgrounds.
A BMA ad campaign that recently went viral claimed that trainee doctors are paid less than Pret a Manger cafe workers.
For the lowest paid doctors in training Base year 1 (FY1), first year of work after medical school applies to their earnings £14.09 per hourwhich corresponds to the total annual salary £29,384. Pret a Manger employees receive a minimum wage of £14.10.
Meanwhile, the minimum annual base salary for doctors in training could rise. £58,398 but that’s only when they’re inside six to eight years of specialized trainingIt starts after two years of study, so it can be obtained with a maximum of 10 years of professional experience.
However, this does not include weekend benefits or on-call work, which are typically required of junior doctors, given the 121,070 vacancies in NHS England.
Doctors warned it was leaving them overworked and underpaid, and a third of medical students said they would leave the NHS after graduating.
Will junior doctors be paid during the strike?
A strike means that employers have the right to withhold pay for any day not worked. In theory, doctors in training lose 28 days of their salary for the 28 days they are not working.
For first-year junior doctors this represents a loss of £3,156.16, while for junior doctors with six to eight years of specialist training and a basic salary it represents a loss of £6,272 this year.
Although some workers may receive financial support from their union, trainee doctors do not receive financial support from the BMA.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.